Fortune, managing uncertainty: an exhibition on man and the unpredictable at the Banco di Napoli Foundation

An exhibition that invites the public to reflect on how humanity, from past to present, has attempted to address what it cannot control. The exhibition "Fortune. Governing Uncertainty" opens on Thursday, September 11th at 11:00 a.m. at Palazzo Ricca (Via dei Tribunali, 213) , curated by the Department of Economics and Statistics of the Federico II University of Naples , the Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe of the National Research Council (CNR), and the Fondazione Banco Napoli . The exhibition begins with a true episode: the shipwreck of Captain Michele Grimaldi of Procida in 1859, based on a maritime account and an ex-voto preserved in Procida. From here, a narrative unfolds that explores the various ways in which societies have attempted to manage uncertainty: from divinatory and religious practices to the strategies of navigators, the calculations of insurers, and the birth of statistical probability. Visitors are immersed in the experience of a storm at sea through a sound installation by artist and composer Roberto Pugliese and projections by Lukas Sander. Archival documents, material testimonies, and contemporary reflections intertwine to demonstrate how "luck," both yesterday and today, remains a living force that shapes individual and collective choices. A journey between historical memory and current events, to understand how, despite centuries of scientific progress, humanity is once again faced with an uncertainty that defies mathematical models. From the maritime risks of the 19th century to the systemic crises of the 21st, the common thread is the same: humanity trying to make sense of the unpredictable. "The 'goddess of fortune'," the promoters say, "personification of those elements of nature and human life that escape the control of will or reason, dominated by adventure, risk, uncertainty, and irrationality, seems to be returning to prominence in the contemporary world, marked by climate, financial, war, and technological crises, where uncertainty is regaining a central role in our lives." The project is curated by Simona Morini , the works on display are by Jacques Perconte, Roberto Pugliese, and Francesco Santosuosso , with installation design by Lukas Sander and Klaus Mussen. The scientific committee includes Giovanni Ceccarelli, Maria Carmela Schisani, Andrea Addobbati, Paola Avallone, Luisa Piccinno, Gea Palumbo, and Raffaella Salvemini. The exhibition is open Monday to Friday (10:00 am to 6:00 pm) until October 12. Admission is free. It is part of the Prin 2022 projects.